Meth trafficking sends Great Falls man to prison for eight years

MISSOULA  — A Great Falls man convicted of trafficking methamphetamine while on supervision for a federal felony conviction was sentenced today to eight years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

Rand Michael Emineth, 31, pleaded guilty in January to possession with intent to distribute meth.

U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy presided.

The government alleged in court documents that in Missoula County in August 2021, law enforcement with the Montana Highway Patrol, Missoula County Sheriff’s Office and Bureau of Land Management conducted a traffic stop of Emineth’s vehicle for erratic driving. A parole-approved search of his vehicle resulted in the recovery of meth, a scale, and drug paraphernalia. Emineth later admitted to recent drug use, and a search of his cell phone indicated he had been distributing meth. Emineth was trafficking meth while he was on supervised release for a federal conviction for possession of stolen explosives.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara J. Elliott prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI’s Montana Regional Violent Crime Task Force and Montana Probation and Parole.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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